The Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, is getting battle-ready for its annual war of the colleges, Spring Fest 2011. Organised in association with The Telegraph, Spring Fest — the biggest college fest in eastern India — will start on Friday and continue till January 24.

“Spring Fest 2011 will be bigger and better than before, with new events, a smashing theme and performances by top artistes and bands,” said Vasanth Kamath, a member of the organising committee.

Students given to wandering the campus at night might stumble on tombstones or carelessly strewn skulls and encounter scary hooded figures, for the theme of Spring Fest this year is horror. The Arena, the nerve centre of the fest, has been decked-out with horror motifs and many of the games have been designed to add to the thrill.

The fest will start with a performance by the college musical society.

Among the new events is Picture Perfect, a photography competition to be judged by photographer Raghu Rai. In the music category, there’s Lake Side Dreams, an acoustic jam competition to be held, despite what the name suggests, on the basketball court.

“Wildfire (another music competition) went national this year with auditions in five cities. Eighteen bands have made the cut,” said Kamath.

There are a clutch of quizzes, including the big-ticket Mary Bucknell Trophy and niche quizzes on business, sport, tech and entertainment and more. On the social causes front, there’s Prayaas — a drive to build consensus around action on climate change — the annual youth marathon and a blood donation camp.

Adding glamour to the student activities like gaming bouts, dance competition and karaoke will be Pro Nites, with celebrity singers and popular bands, both national and international.

While January 22 is reserved for Bandish Fusion with Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, British progressive metal band TessaracT will take the stage on January 24.

Sunidhi Sheila ki jawaani Chauhan will take the mic on January 23, which is being billed as the biggest night of the fest. The fun and frenzy will come to a close on Monday with a performance by Indian Ocean and three cheers for the winner who takes it all — the Spring Fest Championship Trophy.